Word Balloon Comic Books Podcast

Supergirl Unleashed! With Igle and Gates

On this edition of The Word balloon podcast, a conversatio with the
creative team on Supergirl, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. They
discuss Supergirl, from the recent reveal that Lucy Lane is the new
Superwoman, to the death of Zor-El, and the fallout from New
Krypton. There's plenty of chracter dissections of Lana Lang,
Allura Cat Grant and Kara Zor-El herself, and their views on where
all these strong women fit, in this corner of the DC
Superverse.

Some quotes from the conversation...

On Lucy Lane/Superwoman's role as Kara's new enemy.

Gates: "I wanted a villain that can act as a Lex Luthor type...when
New Krypton
was told to me, I thought it was a master stroke on Geoff
(Johns) and James(Robinson's) part having General Lane be the
main bad guy...what great drama you get having Lois's
family be against the Superman family?...There's some more crazy
stuff coming up with Superwoman."

On the character designs for the leading women in the series..

Igle: When It comes to Supergirl the very first conversation I had
with Matt Idelson He said, 'I don't want to see Supergirl's panties
again,' and I agreed ...I think there should be a coy sexiness
about her but I don't think it should be as overt as it's been
drawn...it just didn't fit my image of what a teenaged Supergirl is
supposed to be...she's Superman's cousin, and should be, even by
default, sort of a role model to young girls..."

(For Lana's Asian influenced outfits) My wife Corrine works in the
fashion industry for a company that does a lot of photo touch ups
for Vouge, Cosmo, Louis Viton...
so I get to see all these fashion materials... I was thinking more
in terms of something a little eclectic but business like...with
Cat, it's all Victoria Secret and Fredrick's of Holywood...the
sluttiest dresses I can find (laughs)."

Gates: "I guess that means write more Cat Grant scenes."

On The Death of Zor El

Gates: "Going in, Geoff and James really said we need to upset
things. This can't ne a predictable Superman story and I think the
death
of Zor El made New Krypton completley unpredictable, because you
realize,
'holy crap, no one is safe.'

Igle: With Supergirl 36, I think that was one of the
highlights for me working on the book
...when I was a teenager I lost a friend to gun violence so I was
able to channel
all of those feelings in that opening scene.

Gates: .(Kara) doesn't get to (Zor) for nine pages,and she doesn't
have powers, and is running across an open battlefield to get to
him before he dies, to either save his life or talk to him one last
time.....I lost my father when I was 17 not to violence but a
massive heart attack...in those moments when Supergirl is holding
Zor-El , and he's says 'I'm proud of
you.', that was something as I held my father, I wanted him
to say,and he couldn't. He was already gone

Given the scene in the Origins and Omens of Lana Lang spitting up
some blood
how's her future looking?

"Lana Lang has her own set of problems coming up that we won't come
to a head until Supergirl 47."

On Kara's new civilian identity as Lana's niece...

Gates: "Linda Lang is not going away...it kinda got side tracked
with all the New Krypton stuff...I was happy to see Linda Lang
appear in Superman Batman...as long as it happens elsewhere in the
DCU, it's a real thing...We're going to do a story about her in the
Supergirl Annual ...that's tenatively called Linda Lang Day
One."